In Seattle, Washington, the United States of America, a museum dedicated to NFTs has opened its doors. The museum’s goal is to help visitors comprehend the new world of Non-Fungible Tokens by showcasing one-of-a-kind artworks alongside explanations of the technology behind them.
“The point of a physical space is to make it easier for anyone to access,” museum co-founder Peter Hamilton said.
“You can walk in here, and depending on how much you know or don’t know about digital art, about NFTs, it doesn’t really matter, because you can see the art in a large format display, in a way that would remind you, or be familiar, of a museum exhibition.” – He added
NFTs are one-of-a-kind digital items with ownership rights. While their content is easily copied, the NFT is “the original,” similar to how there are numerous prints of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” but only the Louvre museum holds the original.
In recent months, investors and affluent collectors have flocked to the latest digital fad, which is based on the same blockchain technology that underpins cryptocurrency. NFTs have fetched record prices at recent auctions, including $69.3 million for a digital sculpture by artist Beeple at Christie’s.
They, like all new technology, have their detractors; some see them as a passing fad, or worse, as the Emperor’s New Clothes.
Visitors to the museum, on the other hand, reported feeling something real.
“It’s kind of a global phenomenon so we’re kind of watching it come to life,” said one museum guest, who gave her name as Cara.
Watching that evolution is all part of the fun for Hamilton.
“It’s hard to say where this technology is going to lead us, this is really just the beginning,” he said.
“Anyone that tells you they’re an NFT expert is not telling you the truth because we are all learning, we are all starting from a very very early experience.”